Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

51 reviews

powkaye's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A young woman who is sort of an outcast because of her mother’s past learns she has supernatural powers but she lives in a purist community where women have few rights. This story is about how she comes into her power to disrupt the status quo.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

tinana's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Torture

anacarol's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

seanml's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Prophet sucks, I don’t care how much of a status symbol it is: getting your forehead cut seems awful, I wonder if the Heathen Lands are just as cultish. Probably not. 7/10.

Highlights: Immanuelle, the plagues, WITCHES.

Recommended for: Dark fantasy fans, those who like their horror pretty light, those who are down to destroy the patriarchy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Confinement

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, and Pedophilia

Minor: Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness

iygatac_reads's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

 Ok, so. I was so hyped for this book. And by the end I did like it and I'll be checking out book 2 when it comes out. I guess how book 2 goes will determine whether this is a "I want it on my shelves" or a "I'll just borrow it from the library" read, but I really really thought this was going to be the former when I initially heard about The Year of the Witching last year. And part of this is a, it's on me thing.

I'd thought this was an adult book going in, so I was really thrown by the much more YA seeming feel when I started. I also think the last 60% of this book is stronger than the first 40%. Some of what threw me also was like, there were about 3 times that characters used turns of phrase in dialogue that just didn't feel right for the setting? Like it took me out of the story. But like I said, the second half of the book was stronger and so I ended it feeling pretty good about it. I also found some points being explicitly stated instead of left as implied to be kind of too much, but maybe that's because I went in expecting it to be a pure adult read and its more a crossover.

Bethel is a highly patriarchal, religious, and puritanical society that's basically ruled by the Prophet. From Penguin, "In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol [...] like all the other women in the settlement." But then Imanuelle has an encounter with the Darkwood that sets events into play and results in her questioning the society she lives in more than she ever has before.

I cannot help it so I was very into the romance here lol. Very, girl questioning authority and privileged boy who doesn't accept his father's vision, is rebellious, and wants to do good. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

grey_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Torture, and Pedophilia

doomluz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Loved this historical, fantasy, horror mix. It reminds me of The VVitch film in aesthetic, but set in a world the author created. The themes were strong. I kind of get how it felt like a YA because of the love story, but I didn’t mind it.

I like that it connects and explicitly talks about the menstrual cycle. It shows how women are seen through their fertility, but it also connects it to a curse.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Rape, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

yellephant's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Body horror

Minor: Vomit

savgulick's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, and Miscarriage

loislane93's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is an interesting feminist tale about witches, religion, and family. It has so many good elements in it, a genuinely spooky/sometimes terrifying feel (perfect for October); POC main character, a fantastic grip on patriarchal societies and the horrors that it can bring. It also had some very frustrating parts as well, especially the latter half of the book as a whole. I felt the characterization of all the side characters was very strong, but the "witchy villians" to me felt very one note which was a real shame as they had so much potential. The ending in particular felt very rushed and unfulfilling to me, personally. I do think it's a great book for those who want to step out of the YA world and dip their toes into the broader (sometimes difficult to navigate) world of adult fiction.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Religious bigotry